


Mae's Second Era Sanscest Drabbles

by FaeMytho



Category: UTMV (Undertale Multiverse)
Genre: (s), Angst, Autistic Character(s), Developing Relationship, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Multiple Relationships, Neurodiversity, Queerplatonic Relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:53:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 6,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28030467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FaeMytho/pseuds/FaeMytho
Summary: A bunch of sanscest oneshots I've written on my Tumblr, starting from 2019 and onwards, compiled here for ease of viewing. Will contain rarepairs, various polycules, AUs, neurodivergent characters, lesbians, queerplatonic relationships, and general queerities! Sometimes they're skeletons, but mostly they're humanoids.Mostly, everyone's gay.
Relationships: Cross Sans/Nightmare Sans (UTMV), Dance Sans/Lust Sans (UTMV), Dream Sans/Error Sans (UTMV), Dream Sans/Nightmare Sans (UTMV), Fresh Sans & Ink Sans (UTMV), Fresh Sans/Ink Sans (UTMV), Fresh Sans/Science Sans (UTMV), Geno Sans/Nightmare Sans (UTMV), Ink Sans/Killer Sans (UTMV), Ink Sans/Lust Sans (UTMV), Ink Sans/Nightmare Sans (UTMV)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 55





	1. ErrorDream - Touch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun story about this one, this was originally written for errordream week 2019! i never actually got around to doing the rest of the prompts, but i was really proud of this one!
> 
> word count: 935

Dream had always been a touchy feely kind of person. Emotions weren’t just conveyed through looks and words and the way someone spoke. Emotions were also conveyed through touch.

“Don’t touch me.”

The warmth that could only be felt through a heartfelt hug when words weren’t enough. The simple gesture of love through holding someone’s hand.

When words weren’t enough and actions could no longer speak, that was when touch was truly necessary.

But Dream longed for more than what was truly necessary. He longed for for time in which he could hold Error through a panic attack, or for when he was having a particularly bad day and could most definitely use a hug.

He longed to be able to show Error he loved him through the tiniest of gestures like holding his hand and interlacing his fingers with mismatched, discolored, beautiful ones, or cuddling close together and just enjoying each other’s presence.

“Will I ever be able to?”   
  


He wanted simply the privilege of loving through touch as well as through everything else.

Dream wanted to love Error in every way he could.

But what Error had asked, he would keep. No matter how much he wanted to, he would be careful of the other’s wishes, because he could show his love to Error through this way too.

“Maybe you will.”

Error loved Dream. Apprehensively at first, but wholeheartedly now. And he knew. He knew what Dream wanted, but for his own sake, he couldn’t give him what he longed for.

Dream understood why. Error loved him more for that.

But still, it hurt knowing that there was something Dream craved for, and that Error could give, if not for his fear and aversion to the very thing the one he loved wanted.

Error could see the longing. He could see by the way Dream reached out to grab his hand, and then remembered and pulled back.

By the way Dream would lean in startlingly close, before remembering and backing away, apologizing profusely for what he’d just been about to do.

“Dream?”

“Yes Error?”

“... Hold out your hand and close your eyes.”

_ ‘I want to hold your hand.’ _

Dream, used to these kinds of strange requests, simply did as asked, an amused smile playing on the corners of his mouth. He reached out with his gloved hand, palm up, and allowed his eyes to slide shut, waiting for Error to do what he’d needed to.

Staring at Dream’s hand, Error hesitated from his seat beside the guardian.

The yellow glove did not extend all the way to Dream’s fingers, and they hovered there, curling slightly as Dream relaxed. His white bones were unmarred, perfectly smooth and colored evenly.

_ ‘Touch him’.’ _

And Error did.

He lifted his own hand from where it rested, stiff with anxiety, chipped and beat up, discolored with unnatural hues. And he lowered his hand into Dream’s.

He immediately tried not to flinch away, a prickling discomfort erupting from every point of contact between himself and Dream. He took a deep breath and let it out with a sigh, reminding himself that this was the person he loved, the person who loved him just as much. The initial discomfort subsided.

Error breathed shakily, his hand trembling as he moved to slip his fingers between Dream’s, interlacing their phalanges together.

Dream kept his eyes closed through it all, but he was unable to hide his happy grin.

“Okay,” He breathed out, speaking only to reassure himself. Dream curled his hand around Error’s, slowly, gently, and Error took another deep breath before repeating the action.

Dream’s eyes fluttered open, and he grinned widely, turning to face the monster sitting next to him. Excitement seemed to radiate off of him, and Error found himself smiling back.

He could handle this discomfort if Dream was happy this way every time.

Discolored fingers found themselves placed between pearly white ones more often. Dream was ecstatic, but after a while, suspicion started to set in.

“Error?”

Sitting next to each other, Error’s hand placed on top of Dream’s the former turned to face the latter.

“Yeah?”

“Why...?” Dream shifted, unsure of how to even broach the topic. Despite his uncertainty, though, he continued speaking. “I thought you hated touch. Why did you try that one time-?”

“I do.” Error interrupted, but his hand tightened around Dream’s contradicting his words. Dream frowned.

“Then why?”

“Because I love you,” Error answered honestly, bluntly, holding no half of hesitation in his voice. He sighed and scooted himself closer, seeing the conflict on Dream’s face. “This was a choice I made on my own. Besides, I think I should try to get over it. Who better to help me than you?”

“But you shouldn’t force yourself to do something you don’t want.” Dream persisted, fretting over Error’s self sacrifice of comfort.

“I do want this. I wouldn’t have forced myself to take your hand if I didn’t want to.”

Slowly, understanding dawned on Dream’s face, and he smiled encouragingly. From somewhere deep within, a burst of bravery shot up, flooding through Error, and before the trait could fade away, he lifted their joint hands to his mouth and pressed to kiss to Dream’s smooth, white knuckles, the very same ones that sharply contrasted his own. He didn’t care anymore.

Although having encouraged him, Dream seemed to be surprised at the action, mouth agape and a golden flush spreading across his face. Error couldn’t withhold a laugh, born simply from the expression of flustered shock on Dream’s face.

And when Dream smiled at him happily, Error decided this was worth it. 


	2. DanceLust - Siren

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some tango!! this one was actually for an art-writing trade i did with one of my super talented and awesome friends. they wanted some tango in a greek mythology sort of setting, so this was born! its a bit old, but i still love it to death
> 
> word count: 580

Dance huffed as he hiked along the rocky cliffside, his feet finding their path easily. It wasn't the first time he had come down to where the waves crashed against the rocks, the cliff reeking with the smell of salt and fish. It smelled like home to him.

He had always loved to explore, despite everyone's warnings about the water. The creatures that swam in the water were dangerous and alluring, he'd been told. He had never cared.

Of all the people in his village, he was the one who always felt as though he didn't fit in. He loved to express himself through graceful movement, instead of playing ball games with the others, or taking up some form of the arts. Dancing was always what he loved, but he had never tried dancing for his village again. Not after they had mocked and ridiculed him for it.

He loved exploring the beach, as well as the rocky cliffs that seemed to lead into the deepest parts of the ocean when you peered over them. He stepped along them carefully, going farther today than he ever had before.

His eyes set on a cave, an undiscovered cove where the ocean dipped in, the waves splashing against the rock. His eyes alight with glee, he picked his way across the rocks to the mouth of the cove.

It was larger than he'd first thought, he discovered, as he trekked inside, allowing himself to be sprayed with the foam that the sea splashed as it crashed against the rocks. Inside the cave was a much tamer sea, a much more quiet ocean. A little river that lead into the dark.

Dance went as far as he could, the little river widening out into a much wider pool, the surrounding walls of the cave widening out to reveal a vast cavern. The pool in the middle of the cave was smooth, like a glassy surface. It was a far cry different than the mouth of the cove.

Dance looked out over it from the very back wall. He could see through the entire cave, the long walk he'd had from the roaring sea to the calm waters. For a moment, a long moment that filled him with hope, he wondered if he could come to the cove just to dance away from prying eyes.

Something splashed in the middle of the pool, snapping Dance out of his reverie. He stared at the ripples in the once smooth surface of the pool, coming from the center. Some dark shape swam beneath the surface, diving down away from him.

Almost against every instinct he had, he crouched down next to the water's edge, peering down into the dark depths. The dark shape curled around, and then, a soft purple light emanated from it.

It was a mermaid. Or at least, that's what Dance assumed.

It swam closer to the surface, the markings on its face lighting its features well enough for Dance to see the curiosity in its eyes. Stopping just below the surface, it tilted its head to the left, a question in its eyes.

Dance found himself leaning further out over the water, and the creature reached up, its head breaking the surface. Hands that dripped with water rested on his shoulders, pushing him back as the creature rose up, pulling its body above the water.

“Hello.”

Dance couldn't think.

The siren smiled, sharp teeth curled into a grin.

“My name is Lust.”


	3. KillerInk - Stay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> very short this time! (i'll be posting another short one in a sec to kind of even it out).
> 
> i wanted to play around with a sort of scenario with these two where ink and killer are kind of the only two people they both trust. killer's with nightmare's gang and ink is with dream's, but they still only _truly_ trust each other.
> 
> word count: 271

"You know, I can't keep covering for you. My healing magic is shit, Killer."

Killer rolled his eyes, hissing in a sharp breath when the other's fingers pressed down onto the wound.

"You're the only one I trust to do this, Ink," he breathed out, relaxing when green magic sparked and crackled over his injury. Ink snorted, a smile of pure disbelief emerging on his usually emotionless face.

"You really are insane, trusting me," Ink muttered, lifting his bloody fingers away from Killer. This time, it was Killer's turn to laugh.

"That's what I aim for."

Killer sat up, giving Ink a smile stretched too wide to be natural. Ink returned it, before standing and turning to leave.

"Hey, hey wait, no goodbye kiss?"

Ink stopped, looking back over his shoulder at Killer, whose eyes pleaded in mock desperation, a playful tinge of mischief on their edges. Ink rolled his eyes, turning back around to face the other. Without warning, he plopped himself down in Killer's lap, cupping his face with dried bloody fingers. It was only a moment, but the kiss lingered on their mouths when they pulled away.

"Can't you stay a little longer? I know you don't have anywhere to be," Killer purred, wrapping his arms around Ink and chasing after his mouth. Ink sighed, an unbidden smile quirking at the corner of the mouth Killer kissed, his eyes sliding shut as he pulled himself closer.

When he opened his eyes again, Killer pulled away, and for once, his partner looked entirely peaceful, taking in the moment of quiet. Ink made his decision.

"How can I say no?"


	4. GenoNight - Rest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> geno and nightmare this time! these two don't interact nearly as much as i'd like them to. maybe i should do something about that.
> 
> ANYWAYS this is just pure fluff.
> 
> word count: 307

“Nightmare, it’s one in the morning,” Geno spoke quietly, leaning over Nightmare’s shoulder. Nightmare looked up from his work of categorizing the newest universes, from those that would be easiest to invade to those that would be not so easy to invade.

“Geno, I have to get this done,” he sighed, leaning back in his chair to lean his head against his partner’s. He could almost feel Geno rolling his eye at his subtle refusal.

“You’re terrible at taking care of yourself.”

“You’re one to talk.”

“Mleh.”

Geno moved back, and Nightmare leaned forward in his chair to focus on the paper he was using. Perhaps if he could focus long enough, he’d finally catch up with the sudden influx of new universes, and he would actually get sleep tonight.

Geno had other plans, it seemed. His arm was lifted up and Geno climbed under, pulling himself up to sit across Nightmare’s lap. He looked mildly pleased with himself, snuggling up to Nightmare with a contented sigh.

Nightmare blinked down at him, a brow raised. Geno met his stare with a raised brow of his own, and Nightmare couldn’t help the soft smile from bursting forth on his face. Incredulous though it was, it held a level of affection within, one he trusted Geno would notice.

“If you wanted to cuddle, you needed only ask,” he spoke, resting his free arm around his partner’s torso and tugging him closer.

“And risk the possibility of a no?” Geno’s voice was flat, but it too held a hint of affection, and Nightmare felt his soul twinge, the smile on his face growing more prominent. “There’s no way I’d let that happen.”

Nightmare let out the faintest wisp of a laugh, leaning down to press his forehead against the top of Geno’s head.

“I can never say no to you.”


	5. QP FreshInk - More than Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ink and fresh casually talk about their relationship-that's-not-a-romantic-relationship with the other two stars (and sci). "more than friends" doesn't always mean romantically!
> 
> you know, i feel like we don't get enough aroace autistic ink/aroace autistic fresh in this fandom. which is a tragedy? because i myself am autistic and these two are canonly aroace (last i checked iirc). anyways!! queerplatonic aroace autistic freshink!
> 
> word count: 480

Ink lay across the couch, half sprawled over Fresh’s lap and half sprawled on the cushions, poking away at an iphone. Fresh, meanwhile, had busied himself on a gameboy, and apparently, if Ink were to go by the sounds he’d heard from the game so far, Fresh was close to beating it.

Also in the room, and yet woefully unimportant, were Sci, Dream, and Blue, all chattering to themselves about something they probably considered important. Ink didn’t actually care. He figured it was some regular problem, probably to do with the au coding, Nightmare, and his gang, which, again, he couldn’t care less for.

Fresh, his agreeable partner, agreed with him on that. Of course, it was only natural.

“Ink, could you come help us save at least a couple lives this time?” Dream broke into his train of thought, and he lowered his phone, turning to stare at Dream.

“I could, but I won’t. I’m perfectly comfortable right where I am, thank you.” To prove the validity of his words, he wiggled closer to Fresh, who shifted automatically to help make Ink more comfortable.

At Sci’s bemused expression, Dream simply sighed and turned away, while Ink prepared to tune them out again.

“It’s always like this whenever his boyfriend is over,” Dream muttered, and Ink decided to tune back in. Apparently, so did Fresh.

“Ink ain’t my boyfriend. We ain’t dating.”

Now Blue wanted part of the conversation, seeing as how he turned around with confusion on his face and a question Ink could practically hear him say before he actually said it.

“How are you not dating? You’re so comfortable with each other.”

“We’re both aroace, Blue. We can be comfortable with each other without dating.” Ink looked up at Fresh, who shrugged.

“We also don’t gotta be romantic to be more than friends, y'know?” Fresh spoke up, lowering his gameboy to look across at Blue.

Blue considered that, and Ink rolled his eyes, going back to the game he was playing on his phone. Dream looked exasperated, but he didn’t seem to have the fight in him to haul Ink up out of Fresh’s lap and try to keep him focused on whatever counter-scheme they were planning.

“Is that not called a queerplatonic relationship?” Sci finally spoke up, looking somewhere between intrigued and nervous, though for the life of him Ink couldn’t understand why those specific emotions.

“I guess,” he answered indifferently, at the same time Fresh gave an affirmative ‘yeah’.

The conversation turned to the discussion of relationships as a whole, narrated by Sci with interjections from Blue and the spare exhausted one from Dream, and Ink tuned them out again. He really did adore Fresh. Just not romantically.

Even if all he was doing was letting Ink cuddle up to him and play on his phone, Fresh was a lot more interesting, in his opinion.


	6. NightCross - Queen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cross is a useless lesbian and nightmare takes full advantage of the fact that she's unfairly gorgeous.
> 
> another art-for-writing trade with one of my friends! they wanted lesbians using their human lady designs for nightmare and cross, and i myself am a big useless gay for pretty ladies so.. anyways, here's [cross](https://mutantalientrash.tumblr.com/post/184343001784/crop-top-and-booty-shorts-cross-also-take-a), and here's [nightmare](https://mutantalientrash.tumblr.com/post/183892392564/nightmare)!
> 
> word count: 459

Cross sighed softly to herself, resting the bar she was lifting with across her shoulders. She stared across the room at the queen of nightmares, who sat on a bench there, simply watching.

Cross was fucked. She was absolutely, unequivocally fucked.

Nightmare only smiled, her lips curling so sweetly that Cross lost her train of thought for a solid moment. Just why was Nightmare here watching her?

Her eyes trailed over Nightmare's legs, the way they were crossed, neatly, one over the other. Up to her torso, her shirt almost wide open and showing off her bare chest, the golden moon charm of her necklace neatly placed between- Cross immediately pulled her eyes further up, an uninvited blush spreading across her cheeks.

Nightmare's cyan eyes stared into her heterochromic ones, and Cross turned her head away, lifting the bar off her shoulders.

It wasn't fair, she thought to herself, that Nightmare had invited herself to come watch Cross work out. It wasn't fair that she had to sit there staring Cross down that smug little smile on her lips and that teasing look in her eyes, and-

She was doing this on purpose.

Cross stared at Nightmare, who shifted in her seat just so, so that her shirt fell open a bit more. She tore her gaze away, heat burning in her cheeks.

Nightmare was definitely doing this on purpose. The queen's eyes bored into her, taunting, teasing, asking silently what she was going to do about it.

Cross had never been the type to hold back an impulse.

She dropped the weight, ignoring the loud clang of the bar hitting the ground and she stumbled in her haste forward towards Nightmare. Nightmare blinked in surprise, those painted lips falling open in barely concealed shock as Cross leaned down kissed them.

Cross slowly pulled away, resting a hand on the bench and leaning over Nightmare, who looked voluptuously delighted. She stiffened at the hand that cupped her cheek, Nightmare leaning in just a bit closer.

"I was wondering how long I would have to sit here," she almost purred, pressing a kiss of her own to Cross's mouth, and trailing kisses across the other woman's jaw.

"Nightmaaare," Cross whined childishly, but smiled all the same, a blush spread across her cheeks. The queen, her lover, simply grinned against her skin.

"It's so much fun to tease you, my love," she murmured, and Cross made another indignant noise.

"You don't play fair," she argued, her eyes fluttering closed as Nightmare pressed soft lips all the way up to her ear.

"Since when have I ever played fair, my dear?" The queen whispered, and Cross forced down a shiver.

She was absolutely fucked, but she was more than fine with that.


	7. SciFresh - Routine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> little scifresh drabble! these two have a lot of potential together im surprised i dont see very much of them. anyways, they're both autistic in this, and this can be read as romantic, qp, or platonic!
> 
> word count: 434

“Maybe you could try staying still,” Fresh remarked, watching the scientist move around the room as though possessed. He was muttering under his breath, running halfway through calculations and fully through his own, raw unfiltered thoughts.

Fresh himself, meanwhile, was perched on top of one of Sci’s tables, laying stomach down with his head propped up on one of his arms as he watched Sci scurry to and fro.

He never quite understood Sci’s insistent tendency to ramble out loud, but his voice was enough of an anchor to keep Fresh above the surface of his own subconscious. It was nice to listen to, and he could focus on it with ease without slipping away into the surreal world of thought his mind had always supplied him with.

“No, no, staying still will most definitely not work. I have to focus and to focus I’ve got to be moving,” Sci answered his comment from just a few seconds ago, doing exactly as he’d just told Fresh he would be doing.

Fresh watched him pace around the room once more, raising a brow behind his host’s glasses. It was after this that he spoke again.

“Y'know, Sci, I think you’re making it more complicated than it has to be,” he spoke easily, having found a break in the scientist’s continuous ramblings and taking the little opportunity. Sci stopped and looked at him, blinking incredulously.

“What do you mean?” He asked, looking genuinely confused. “I’ve run through everything, every calculation, every number and every outcome, and none of it matched the work I had done beforehand.”

“Didya try doing ‘em together?”

Sci stopped. Blinked. Opened his mouth and closed it again. Fresh watched the metaphorical gears turning, and then, click into place as Sci suddenly turned and rushed to the other side of the room. Papers rustled as the scientist shoved them aside, digging for a specific one and scanning through it once he’d found it.

“Oh of course! Concurrently, rather than separately, would have made much more sense,” he began to ramble once more, slowly turning on his heel and walking slowly back towards Fresh. His eyes were fixed on the paper, and his voice became Fresh’s anchor again.

Fresh gave a soft, content sigh, listening to Sci ramble on. He even reached up a moment later to slide his glasses off his face, revealing his parasitic form, though Fresh knew Sci didn’t mind it, just as Fresh knew Sci knew that Fresh didn’t make himself this vulnerable for just anyone.

It was a simple, regular, routine day, and Fresh loved every second of it.


	8. NightInk, Dreammare, InkLust - Five Sentences

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, so! these are actually from a little challenge i did on my tumblr. someone would send me a sentence, and id answer with the next five (or so, since these kinda got away from me a bit!)
> 
> word count: 476

**NightInk**

Nightmare stared over the top of his hands, and Ink stared defiantly back, a white piece held in his outstretched hand.

“The queen can’t move like a knight, Ink,” Nightmare spoke flatly, watching irately as Ink put the piece down anyways.

“Maybe in your version of chess,” Ink huffed, sitting back in his chair with a grin. “I say let the queen move like a knight. She deserves it.”

“‘She’ is a chess piece,” Nightmare seethed quietly, and Ink shrugged.

“Maybe you’re just bad at chess,” he had the audacity to suggest, and promptly lost his shit laughing as Nightmare upended the chess board in an attempt to strangle him.

**Dreammare**

They were alone. Awash with the dark colors of waterfall, Nightmare was almost invisible.

Dream stayed silent, a strange look on his face. Nightmare felt what could have been cold terror creep down his spine. Maybe it was apprehension. Relief. Longing.

“Well? Tell me!” He demanded. His tendrils lashed angrily behind him. “Did you mean it or not?”

“I did,” Dream said, so softly that Nightmare had to strain to hear it. “I meant it. I never stopped meaning it.”

Dream turned and walked away. Nightmare let him.

Three words hung unspoken in the air.

**InkLust**

“Are you ready for this?”

“No!”

“Me neither! Let’s go!”

Ink grabbed onto Hearts’ hand, dragging the other behind himself as he charged forward. Hearts yelped at the tug, screaming as Ink jumped off of Mount Ebott and pulled him along with a wild cackle.

For a heart-stopping moment, they were falling through the air, Ink’s hand warm in Hearts’ as he whooped and the wind whipped around them.

“THIS WAS A BAD IDEA,” Hearts screamed over the wind. Ink just scoffed and turned in midair to face him.

“Relax! We’ll be fine! After all, I’ve got broomy, he’ll save us,” Ink reassured him, rolling his eyes and turning back towards the rapidly approaching ground with a grin. He held out his free hand, and with a spark of magic, his paintbrush appeared. Hearts held onto Ink’s hand, pulling himself closer and shutting his eyes.

Ink swung broomy down across the mountain face, and a slide of black ink appeared to catch them, letting them surf down the rest of the mountain as Ink directed. When they finally tumbled to the ground, safe and unhurt, Hearts was heaving for breath, staring up at the sky. He closed his eyes and lay an arm across them, groaning pitifully.

“So? So? What’d'ya think? Fun, right?” Ink asked, on his knees beside him and leaning over to smile down at him. Hearts elbowed him in his non-existent gut, watching as Ink dramatically flopped down next to him.

“Next time,” he said, rolling over to Ink’s side and leaving a kiss on his cheek. “I’m choosing what we do for date night.”


	9. ErrorDream - Mercy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dream ends up in a bad situation. error helps him, for _some_ reason.
> 
> word count: 770

When he opened his eyes, the world was dark. His head was pounding, and his mouth twisted up into a frown as he tried to remember what had happened before he passed out, before ultimately shutting his eyes and giving up.

The thought of sitting up made his stomach swim, so he stayed laying down where he was. With everything aching the way it was, he almost wished he just hadn't woken up. It was hard to focus on anything but the aching pain, and so for several moments, he drifted just on the edge of consciousness.

What brought him back was the unmistakable sound of space time being ripped open, a portal to another universe tearing its way through the air. He knew the sound well enough.

He must be in Blue's house, he reasoned. It was the logical place, after all. Blue was his friend, and he'd stayed over so often that Blue had practically given him the guest room. It would also explain the soft surface he lay on, and the cloth covering his eyes. He was sick, or had been injured during their last spat with Nightmare, and Blue was taking care of him.

… That didn't sound right.

Despite his aches and pains, Dream sat up, the cloth over his eyes falling down and pooling in his lap. It had been a blanket after all, but he wasn't focused on that, the white nothingness of the anti-void greeting him and making him nauseous.

"Hey, dumbass, lay back down," a gruff voice snapped at him, and even though his head was spinning, he turned and met the mismatched eyes of Error, the outcode being and symbol of destruction.

And instead of laying back down, he passed out.

When Dream woke again, it was to the blanket covering his eyes and the irritated grumbling of a certain outcode he couldn't say he knew all that well. As compared to the other outcodes he knew. At least his headache was gone.

With his head no longer pounding, he recalled his last memories. There had been a battle, of that much he was certain. Ink had reported a sighting of Cross and Killer, from Nightmare's little band of misfits. They were clearly up to no good, so he had taken Blue with him to see what they were up to. He couldn't quite recall what had happened, but he knew at some point, he had been shoving Blue out of the way of an attack.

"What happened?" He groaned, keeping his eyes closed and himself under the blanket. In his state, the white of the anti-void was sure to irritate him rather than anything else. A huff of breath sounded from his left, and Error's skipping voice spoke up.

"Building collapsed on you."

He said nothing else, and Dream pushed aside the blanket just a bit to sneak a look up at Error. Golden eyes fell to mismatched hands, which were busy weaving blue string together in some kind of braid. Error wasn't paying attention to him, so he took another moment to look around, assessing where exactly he was.

He knew he was in the anti-void, of course, but he didn't remember the anti-void having blankets to lay on or pillows to prop his head up. Nor did he remember it having beanbags or little boxes of knickknacks strewn about. He definitely didn't remember the ceiling, which extended into darkness, woven over with webs of blue string.

"You and that swap incode interrupted Cross and Killer's date," Error spoke up again, and Dream turned to look at him. The other outcode wasn't meeting his eyes, gaze firmly fixed on his hands, which were still weaving away. "You're wondering, I can tell. They called Nightmare, Nightmare called me. Blue made it out okay. You didn't."

"Oh," Dream said eloquently. He lay back down again, suddenly feeling the urge to either disappear from the world or throw up. "Why save me?" He finally asked.

"Dunno," Error muttered, and turned away. It was silent for a long time after that, and Dream could sense that that was all he was going to get from Error on the subject.

Sighing, he gave up and dropped it, closing his eyes and covering his face with the blanket again. He'd take Error's unexpected mercy without any more questions.

(Though when he thought back on the details of it later, when he returned to Blue's house and allowed the sprightly incode to fret and worry over him, he couldn't help but wonder if he was making up the blue flush of magic on Error's face.)


	10. Dreammare - Bittersweet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> someone asked for a bittersweet modern dreammare au, and i had to comply (pensive emoji). this is a bit like... the modern au equivalent of nightmare eating the apples and telling dream to fuck off. but theres no apples and nightmare and dream just had a really bad falling out.
> 
> fun fact for this drabble, nightmare uses they/them and identifies as male, dream uses he/him and identifies as nonbinary! because pronouns don't define your gender, nonbinary people can use binary pronouns if they want to, and binary people can use neutral/neopronouns if they want to ♥
> 
> word count: 1,369

Dream smoothed down the creases of his shirt, smiling nervously at his own reflection. Around his neck, the thin golden chain of his necklace shimmered in the light, the moon charm resting on his collarbone. Taking a deep breath, he sighed it out slowly, trying to calm his fraying nerves. Blind dates weren't something to be so nervous about. At least, he didn't think they were.

Grabbing his keys, he shut the lights off and left his apartment. It was no use denying it to himself, especially as he found himself fiddling with his unruly curls in the mirror at every stoplight. He was nervous, and he knew it. Blue had assured him that he'd been set up with someone nice, and though he never doubted his friend before, he couldn't help but frantically fantasize about everything that could go wrong.

The second he stepped inside the restaurant, he was escorted to a table with only a mentioned of his name. Sighing, he let his fingers dance over the top of the polished wood. Blue's family probably owned this restaurant. He should've known.

Sighing, Dream leaned back in his seat and stared around the restaurant; or rather, what he could see of it. He knew he'd probably beat whoever his date was here, but the waiting was making him even more anxious than before.

The restaurant wasn't crowded, but it certainly wasn't empty either. The dull sound of soft chatter and utensils hitting dishes as restaurant patrons ate did nothing to still his nerves. Taking a deep breath, he put on a smile for the waiter who came over.

"I'm waiting for someone," he told them before they could open their mouth. They looked familiar, but Dream couldn't place them until they spoke.

"I see," Nightmare drawled, sweeping their black hair out of their face so they could look down at Dream with those piercing blue eyes they'd always had. Dream felt his breath catch in his throat. "Regardless, I'll be your waiter tonight."

Nightmare turned and left, and Dream stared after them, sinking down in his seat. He hadn't seen Nightmare in years, and the last time they had talked, it hadn't exactly been on good terms. What was Nightmare even thinking of him now, seeing him in this restaurant and clearly waiting on his date for the night?

Ten minutes passed, and then another fifteen. An hour after Dream had shown up, he had miserably made his way through the entire basket of breadsticks and now had his head down on the table.

"Hey, that's not very good restaurant etiquette." A gentle tap to his shoulder made him look up, and Nightmare stood there, crossing their arms. They were in casual clothes rather than their waiter clothes, and Dream bit back a pitiful sniffle.

"Why are you-?" Unable to find the proper words, Dream gestured to Nightmare. They looked down at themself, then shrugged.

"My shift ended ten minutes ago." Nightmare looked down at Dream, and something in their eyes softened. After a minute, Nightmare sighed, offering a hand to Dream. "Come on. I'm going to get shitty fast food and you're coming with, since all you've eaten tonight are breadsticks."

Perplexed, Dream stared at the hand. Nightmare wiggled their fingers impatiently, and Dream found his hand in theirs. He let Nightmare pull him up and tug him out of the restaurant, and for the first time in a long time, he felt complete.

... If not hopefully apprehensive for what lay ahead.

Nightmare rode a motorbike, and since they hadn't thought they'd be needing another helmet, they hadn't brought one. So instead, Dream and Nightmare drove side by side, together and apart at the same time. It was impossible to describe the emotions roiling through him, but Dream didn't think he wanted to.

-

"Sorry your date stood you up," Nightmare mumbled into their pancakes. It was the first thing they'd said to Dream since they'd left the restaurant, and Dream felt his heart stutter in his chest.

"It- It's fine," he assured Nightmare, reaching for another fry on his plate. It was almost midnight, and Dream had early morning classes to attend tomorrow, but he didn't care. This was more important right now. "I psyched myself out over meeting them, and then they didn't even show up. So, no loss there, really."

Nightmare gave a soft huff, stabbing their fork into their eggs a little too harshly. "Still," they grumbled. "Asshole."

Dream let himself laugh, and by the gods, it felt good to laugh at something Nightmare had said again. It felt like greeting an old friend. As Dream's little giggle fit died down, he reached across the table to rest his hand atop Nightmare's pale one. They looked up from their plate, blinking at Dream with a raised brow.

"Thank you for thinking about me," Dream spoke, a gentle smile on his face. It didn't stay for long, dropping into a little frown. He sighed, and decided to address the elephant in the room. "Nightmare, I'm sorry. About what happened last time we-"

"No." Nightmare pulled their hand away, and Dream looked up at them in shock. They looked furious. "No, don't you dare apologize. It wasn't your fault, it was mine. You shouldn't be apologizing to me, I should be apologizing to you."

Dream couldn't breathe. Nightmare pushed their empty plate aside and stood, staring down at Dream with upset eyes.

"I'm sorry, Dream," they said with all the force of the world. Dream's eyes felt prickly and wet. "I shouldn't have done that to you. I shouldn't have said those things. It was my fault you felt that way, because I knew what would hurt you the most, and I knew you'd just forgive me right away, and I'm sorry."

Dream stood. Nightmare faltered, looking away.

"You shouldn't forgive me for that," they muttered. "I know you're probably going to, but you shouldn't. What I said, what I did... It wasn't-"

Dream reached out to cup Nightmare's cheeks, and Nightmare choked on their words. Their blue eyes were wide and shimmery, and Dream was almost certain his eyes were the same.

"Who are you," he started, his voice wet and wavering with a laugh. "And what did you do with Nightmare?"

"I went to therapy!" Nightmare exclaimed, sounding all the world as though they were offended, but tears slid from their eyes and they worried their bottom lip on their teeth the same way they always had when they were kids. For the first time since he'd seen Nightmare again, he noticed the thin golden chain around their neck, the golden sun charm gently resting on their collarbone, and his breath caught in his throat. With his hands on Nightmare's soft cheeks and thumbing away their tears, Dream couldn't stand it anymore.

Dream pressed his mouth to Nightmare's, pushing all his relief and apprehension into the movement. He needed Nightmare to know, to understand the tight feeling in his chest in a way that words could never encapsulate. He heard Nightmare's gasp as much as felt it, and after a moment, he pulled away.

"I'm not forgiving you just because," he said, voice crackling with emotion. He cleared his throat and continued. "I'm forgiving you because the Nightmare I knew would have never apologized for doing something wrong. Certainly not for what happened. And I love you. I still love you. I always have loved you. Seeing you make this progress, I'm... I'm proud of you."

"Dream," Nightmare mumbled, hands coming up to grip his shoulders. They gently pushed him away. "I love you too. But I can't. I need... I need time to think." Nightmare looked away, their voice softening. "And I want to be better for you."

After a moment, Dream nodded, wiping his own tears away. "Okay," he said. "I'll be here for you. Whenever you're ready."

Nightmare gave a scoff, though it sounded wet with tears and there was a sad smile on their face. In what was clearly a nervous movement, they pressed a kiss to Dream's forehead, and it felt like a promise.

"Okay," they agreed, and Dream beamed up at them with tears in his eyes. "Okay."


	11. Dreammare - Feral Festival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> feral lesbians uwu
> 
> nightmare uses she/her and dream uses ae/aer!
> 
> word count: 510

"Incoming!!"

Nightmare rushed into the alleyway and ducked herself behind the dumpster. With her hands firmly over her ears and her eyes squeezed shut, she only barely registered Dream sliding down next to her. Dream's eyes were clenched shut, aer hands over aer ears, and a moment later, a large boom shook the streets, vibrating up into their chests and shaking them both to their cores. With only one glance at each other, they burst out laughing.

"Did you use the cannon?!" Nightmare shouted over the screaming, and grinned as her partner in crime nodded vigorously. Dream's green eyes were shining with glee, giggles wracking aer body. Aer blonde hair was a mess, frayed from its braid and sticking up everywhere, but ae'd never looked happier than ae did at that moment.

"Of course I used the cannon!" Ae shouted back, grabbing Nightmare by the wrist and tugging her back out into the streets. They wove through the panicking crowd with graceful ease, not even touching a single person.

The streets of their town were in chaos. With winter well upon them, it had soon become time to put on the annual winter celebrations festival. Nightmare had had the ingenious idea of offering their own services to the festivities this year. Beyond excited at the idea, Dream had agreed.

"You set them up last night, right?" Dream asked as they came to a stop in the center of town. Nightmare nodded with a grin, and Dream swept her up into a hug. Laughing, Nightmare had only a second to prepare before ae kissed her hard, excitement and passion reflecting aer very self even in the way ae kissed.

"Come on, set them off set them off!" Dream pulled away and cupped her face, and there was bright excitement in aer eyes. Dazed from the kiss, and dazed from Dream aerself, Nightmare could only stammer and nod and fumble around in her pockets with a stupid smile.

Dream's excitement was contagious. As soon as Nightmare had the remote in her hand, she wiggled it in Dream's direction and watched as her partner in crime burst into giggles. She made a show out of pushing the button, much to Dream's impatient anticipation, but once it had been pushed, ae grabbed Nightmare by the shoulders, shoved aer face cheek to cheek with hers, and looked up at the sky.

Streaking and screaming up from all over the city, rockets whistled into the stars and burst into color. The fireworks were loud and bright, not unlike Dream aerself, and Nightmare couldn't help but cackle out the sheer joy rushing through her.

The new explosions brought more screams, people scattering and ducking for cover. Slowly though, as the fireworks continued to streak across the sky, the panic of the town began to dwindle, people retreating into their homes. In the center of the city, Nightmare cupped Dream's face and kissed aer.

"Promise me we'll do this again sometime," Dream murmured against her lips with a giggle, and Nightmare gave a laugh of her own.

"Promise."

**Author's Note:**

> want to [see more from me](https://faemytho.tumblr.com/post/183472292306/maes-writing-commissions)? check out [my tumblr](https://faemytho.tumblr.com/)!


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